Newmans Coach Lines

The Newmans name has been synonymous with coach transport in New Zealand for over 100 years. Today Newmans Coach Lines operates daily sightseeing services between Queenstown and the West Coast towns of Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, and between Christchurch and Queenstown.

These five-star coaches provide a high standard of comfort and include an informative driver commentary from local and experiecned coach captains. The vehicles have changed over the years, but the dedication and service levels of these drivers remains the same.

Book your next Newmans Coach Lines service now - no credit card required.

The Newmans Story

Newmans Coach Lines began in 1879 with brothers Tom and Harry Newman offered a horse-drawn coach service delivering mail around the Nelson region.

The Newman brothers built their reputation on reliability and service. On their first run on 1 July 1879, Tom, aged 20, was at the reins with 29 year old Harry beside him. The 120 km, two day journey was memorable in more ways than one. Held up ten miles from their destination, Tom was determined to get the mail through so he put the mailbag over his shoulders and walked - the mail got through!

The business grew rapidly and expanded to include passenger services, at first throughout the South Island and later into the North Island. In 1911 the first motor vehicle - a four-cylinder Cadillac - was introduced and in 1918 the last horse-drawn carriage was retired from service with the cars now housed in the stables.

The company of Newman Brothers Ltd was formed in 1919, Harry died later that year and Tom (who died in 1944) eventually took over the running of the firm. In 1921 Thomas Newman ventured into new forms of transport, organising the first plane to land in the Nelson region. The Avro 504 flew in from Wellington and landed in Marsden's paddock at Stoke.

By 1926, Newmans had a fleet of 50 ‘modern and powerful motors', 30 drivers and five mechanics. Management of the company transferred to Tom's son Jack in 1930. Sir Jack Newman was knighted for services to the travel industry, commerce and the community in 1977. Newmans remained a family-owned business until 1972 when it merged with Transport (Nelson) Ltd and in 1998 it was incorporated within the InterCity Group network.